THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 



491 



racters of this Jewifh nation, they will not eafily believe that 

 they did ever -willingly " receive the Old Teftament from a 

 " people who were the avowed champions of the New." 



The*' have, indeed, no knowledge of the New Teftament 

 but from converfation ; and do not curfe it, but treat it as 

 a folly where it fuppofes the Melliah come, who, they feem 

 to think, is to be a temporal prince, prophet, prieit, and con- 

 queror. 



Still, it is not probable that a Jew would receive the 

 law and the prophets from a Chriftian, without abfolute ne- 

 ceflity, though they might very well, receive fuch a copy from 

 a brother Jew, which all the Abyffinians were, when this 

 tranflation was made. Nor would this, as I fay, hinder them 

 from following a copy really made by Jews from the text 

 itfelf, fuch as the Suptuagint actually was. But, I confefs, 

 great difficulties occur on every fide, and I defpair of having 

 them folvcd, unlefs by an able, deliberate analyfts of the 

 fpecimen of the Falaflia language which I have preferved, 

 in which I earneftly requefl the concurrence of the learned. 

 A book of the length of the Canticles contains words 

 enough to judge upon the queftion, Whence the Falafha 

 'Came, and what is the probable caufe they had not a tranfla- 

 tion in their own tongue, lince a verfion became necefiary ? 



T have lefs doubt that Frumentms tranflated the New 

 Teftament, as he mull have had afliftance from thofeofhis 

 own communion in Egypt ; and this is a further reafon 

 why I believe that, at his coming, he found the Old Tefta- 

 ment already tranflated into the Ethiopic language and cha- 

 racter, becaufe Bagla, or Geez, was an unknown letter, and 



3 Qjz the 



